Virgin Media O2 UK Suffers Broadband Customer Decline as FTTP Footprint Hits 9M Premises
The latest Q2 2026 results from network operators Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) have today reported a fall in consumer broadband customers of -28,200 to total 5,417,900 (vs -5.3k in Q1), while their mobile base declined slightly to total 46.428m (down from 46.44m) and outdoor 5G+ (5GSA) population coverage remains at 86%.
The results confirm that Virgin Media and nexfibre’s combined UK broadband network now reaches a total of 18,811,600 Homes Serviceable (up slightly from 18,796,600 in Q1). The results also reveal that a total of 9 million Virgin Media and nexfibre premises (footprint) are now covered by full fibre (FTTP) lines – using XGS-PON and RFOG technology, which is up from nearly 8.7m in Q1.
As usual most of the above change is coming from Virgin Media’s ongoing efforts to upgrade existing Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) areas to FTTP, which is currently in the process of being boosted by a complementary upgrade programme via nexfibre as part of the Netomnia deal (here). Nexfibre’s network, by itself, currently still accounts for around 2.6+ million FTTP premises.
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Sadly Virgin Media has long stopped giving any solid figures for their Pay TV (video) base, but we do get these.
VMO2 Q2 2026 UK Customer (Connection) Figures
5,417,900 Consumer Broadband – (up/down from 5,446,100 in Q1)
46,428,700 Mobile inc. Wholesale – (up/down from 46,446,500)
On the financial front, VMO2 reported total revenue of £2,398.9m in Q2 2026, which is up from £2,390.1m last quarter.
Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2, said:
“Our performance in Q2 is in line with our full year guidance. It reflects the continued navigation of a highly-competitive market backdrop, a focus on execution and transformation in our three operating areas – consumer, B2B and wholesale – and a relentless commitment to improving customer experience and building strong foundations for future growth.
Underpinned by significant investment, we are making good progress against our long-term strategy with a fibre footprint reaching 9 million premises; the largest 5G+ network in the country; the expansion of innovative new services like O2 Satellite; a new wholesale partnership; and a clear transformation of our customer service, with faster issue resolution and significantly lower complaint levels.”
Once again it’s important to highlight how VMO2’s figures for broadband customers no longer include their fixed business base (started last quarter), so we’re now only able to count their consumer base in the total. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to report while we wait for the outcome of VMO2/nexfibre’s acquisition of Netomnia, although network construction and other revenue decreased 95.9% in the quarter, reflecting the expected reduction in low-margin nexfibre construction activity. Consumer fixed ARPU also decreased 4.6% to £46.56.
Headline Figures (Official Summary)
Customers
- Consumer Fixed-Line: Total consumer fixed customer base stands at 5.5m with a -30k customer reduction in Q2 2026, a ~23k improvement vs Q2 2025.
- Mobile: Total mobile connections across the O2 network stand at 46.4m – this includes O2, giffgaff, O2 Business, IOT and MVNOs such as Sky Mobile and Tesco Mobile
- Mobile contract connections stand at 24.5m with a reduction of -29k connections in Q2 – a ~30k improvement vs Q1. Consumer mobile contract ARPU remained stable.
- Wholesale contract connections base increased by ~34k in Q2 reinforcing VMO2’s strong position in the mobile wholesale market.
- Customer service turnaround strategy is continuing to deliver, with a 50% reduction in Virgin Media broadband complaints YoY and a 57% reduction in O2 complaints vs Q4 2025, with levels now back to previous lows.
Ongoing investment in fibre and 5G
- Investment: Around £1bn invested in H1 of 2026
- Total fixed-line premises serviceable: 18.8m premises (all with access to speeds of at least 1Gbps)
- 5G coverage: 5G Standalone now available to 86% of the outdoor population – making it the largest 5G+ network in the UK
- Expansion of devices for O2 Satellite – the first UK mobile network to switch on direct-to-device satellite connectivity, increasing landmass coverage to 95%. Compatible Apple iPhone and Google Pixel devices can now use the service.
- Full Fibre footprint: 9m premises – a mix of continued fibre upgrades and the nexfibre joint venture footprint
Q2 Financials – in line with stated full year guidance metrics
- Total Revenue (adjusted for Daisy transaction): £2.4bn (-7.9%)
- Total Service Revenue (adjusted for Daisy transaction): £2.0bn (-3.9%)
- Adjusted EBITDA (adjusted for Daisy transaction): £975m (-2.9%)
- Adjusted FCF: £232m
2026 Guidance reconfirmed
- Total service revenue decline of 3 to 5% year-over-year, adjusted for the Daisy transaction
- Adjusted EBITDA decline of 3 to 5% year-over-year, adjusted for the Daisy transaction
- Investment of £2.0 to £2.2 billion
- Adjusted Free Cash Flow and cash distributions to shareholders both around £200 million
Check out the Q2 2026 VMO2 results here.
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Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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There’s a glitch in the article:-
> Speaking of which, O2’s contracted mobile base suffered a ????? this quarter.
Brain is not functioning today. Fixed.
I’m not surprised their customer base has declined. Their product is great and reliable. (We are on 1G symmetrical XGS-PON).
However, dealing with their customer services when it comes to recontracting time is an absolute nightmare. I’m not surprised they had a recent large fine for their antics.
If they just treated their existing customers in a better way, I’m sure they wouldn’t lose the number of customers they are loosing.
It took me 3 or 4 painful and long chat exchanges over a 3 week period to try and negotiate a decent renewal contract, which in the end I gave up and cancelled. Miraculously the next day they called me back and offered a sensible deal.
Absolutely agree on the recontracting nonsense. My elderly father had a £40pm contract and was sent an email saying his new contract would be £120pm! Thankfully he has choice in his provider and 10 mins later I had switched him. We don’t have the same luxury as VM is the only provider in our village so we have the nonsense dance of cancelling and then recontracting, total joke of a company.
Sadly customer service is a problem with a lot of companies. Over the years I have had loads of fun with customer serveries, mainly on behalf of other people. Sky, Talk Talk, BT, Vodafone, British Gas and others.
My broadband provider is not perfect either CS wise, but they are also not as bad as some. Overseas call centres are the worst, BT was awful.
Virgin media installed full fibre on my street and surrounding ones in Shrewsbury about three years ago. There are lots of street cabinets humming away but it’s not possible to order it. At the time, they put a single leaflet through the door but nothing since. A few weeks after the build Openreach completed their fibre build in the area, but having paid out for the installation you’d think VM would try to complete, especially as they are losing customers.
And I still can’t get rid of my phone, it’s not been plugged in for about 3 or 4 years now but it’s still part of the bundle. Also partly the reason their fixed line figures are high as once your in you can’t get rid of it
You can. You don’t need phone to have internet it’s all seperate, same for the TV
Worse thing I ever did was to join virgin media contract can’t wait for it to finish so I can leave
“50% reduction in Virgin Media broadband complaints YoY”
Yeah, because the other 50% have either given up trying to get through the AI IVR or still on the phone trying to do so.